73G 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Nov. 15 



they consumed less than 8 lbs. of honey per 

 colony, and yet some had dysentery; all were 

 very, very damp, and some were moldy. I 

 could not account for this condition unless 

 they lacked ventilation, as my cellar is very 

 dry. Where have 1 failed? 

 Elroy, Wis., Sept. 27. Chas. Sheldon. 



From the brief description given, I judge 

 the trouble is not with the cellar. If Mr. 

 Sheldon will allow a distance of two or more 

 inches between the bottom-bars and the bot- 

 tom-board I think he will have no further 

 trouble. G. M. Doolittle. 



We do not like to cement our bees in a 

 "box," as it would seem Mr. Sheldon has 

 his. The bottom and sides of his cellar are 

 likely so well cemented that the moisture 

 from the bees has no place to escape, and, 

 consequently, he has wet moldy hives and 

 combs. 



See that the cellar is dark. Give a little 

 ventilation and allow the temperature to 

 reach nearly the 50° mark. A cellar in dry 

 sandy soil, with side walls of stone, tvUhout 

 mortar, or simply boards for side wall and 

 sand botiom, makes the ideal place for win- 

 tering bees. The experience of many suc- 

 cessful Michigan bee-keepers has shown that 

 "close to mother earth" (dry sand) is the 

 secret. E. D. Townsbnd & Soxs. 



It is difficult to be very sure as to the trou- 

 ble in wintering, with no more complete 

 knowledge of how the hives were ventilated. 

 I should say, however, that the hives either 

 were not sufficiently open or that the jilace 

 was so dry as to make the bees restless, and 

 so cause disease. .T. E. Crane. 



"Very, very damp " hives in a "very dry" 

 cellar confirm the suspicion of lack of venti- 

 lation in the hive. Ha\ e the entrance two 

 inches deep by full width of hive; or leave 

 usual entrance with ventilation at top; or 

 leave hive entirely open, either top or bot- 

 tom. ' C. C. Miller. 



I would attribute this largely to improper 

 food — perhaps honey-dew. Contract each 

 colony to the comb-space it will cover; give 

 not less than ten pounds of sugar-syrup 

 stores (to carry them through the period of 

 confinement) ; leave a cloth or honey-board, 

 but not a painted cover, above the frames 

 with a cushion for warmth above that. Have 

 the entrance wide open, and leave the bees 

 undisturbed and in the dark. Under these 

 ideal conditions the bees should winter well 

 in the cellar mentioned. 



R. F. Holtermann. 



TANGLEFOOT HONEY NOT SUITABLE FOR 

 THE BEES, 



BY J. D. YANCEY. 



or goldenrod honey gathered. It never af- 

 fected the bees in the fall or winter; but just 

 as soon as sprmg started they would begin to 

 dwindle, and continue to do so until settled 

 warm weather brought plenty of new hon- 

 ey. I do not think we ever lost an entire 

 colony from this cause; but it may have 

 been due to the fact that our honey never 

 granulated, and the hives generally contain- 

 ed a quantity of good honey. 



One can readily detect the presence of new 

 tanglefoot honey in the hive, as it has the 

 same smell as a field of the weed in bloom. 



Those who have had this experience would 

 do well to extract this honey and feed back 

 sugar syrup. It can be disposed of to the 

 biscuit companies for almost enough to pay 

 for the sugar; and the assurance that the 

 colonies will be clean and healthy in the 

 spring will surely pay for the trouble. 



Bridgeport, Wash. 



SELECTION IN BREEDING. 



Breeding Horns from Cattle Not the Same as Elim- 

 inating the Swarming Instinct in Bees. 



BY KALBIGH THOMPSON. 



Losses of bees have been reported, due to 

 tanglefoot honey. We had this trouble, al- 

 though not seriously, in South Texas, when 

 there was any quantity of either tanglefoot 



A good many have been writing about 

 breeding tails from cats, horns from cattle, 

 etc.; but these writers have been thinking 

 of one thing and writing about another. 

 Has any one ever heard of a poultry man 

 trying to breed hens that would not lay, or 

 of a stockman trying to breed a non-breeding 

 animal? The bee-keeper wants a queen that 

 will lay eggs by the thousand. Now, while 

 it is true that hens do not swarm to keep up 

 a supply of hens, nor do animals swarm to 

 keep the stock from becoming extinct, colo- 

 nies of bees must swarm, for that is nature's 

 way of keeping them from dying out. 



In poultry there are male and female for 

 increase; but among the bees the male and 

 female are for increasing the number of bees 

 instead of directly increasing the number of 

 colonies. 



Su]5pose a colony were put in a box car, 

 and the queen lived for twenty years. If 

 this colony were put on to six combs it 

 would swarm when the honey- flow came on. 

 Man may breed wings and legs, and even 

 heads from bees, for all I know, but he will 

 never produce a non-swarming race. 



Underwood, Ind. 



Honey-dew from Oak Leaves this Season. 



Please advise me what the oak leaves I send have 

 on them. I wonder it it can be hone.v dew. As it 

 is very late in the season, it has a sweet taste to it. 

 I have an oak-tree in the front yard, and it seems 

 to be covered with this secretion. Bees are doing 

 well this fall. Honey is retailing at 18 to 20 cents. 



Kewaunee, 111., Oct. 3. L. Peterson. 



[The saccharine deposit is the work of aphides, no 

 doubt. When the bees gather it and store it we 

 call it honey-dew. We have seen very little of it 

 this year, although last year there were immense 

 quantities of it reported from all parts of the coun- 

 try.— Ed.] 



